Summary
The topic of this chapter was fine-tuning code. We started with Delphi compiler settings, which can, in some cases, significantly change code execution speed, and we learned what those situations are.
Then, I introduced a simple but effective optimization – extracting common expressions. This optimization served as an introduction to the CPU window, which can help us analyze compiled Delphi code.
After that, I got back to basics. Creating a fast program means knowing how Delphi works, so we looked at built-in data types. We saw what is fast and what is not.
As a logical follow-up to data types, we looked at methods – what happens when you pass parameters to a method and how to speed that up. We also reviewed a few surprising implementation details that can create problems in your code.
We ended the chapter with three practical examples. Firstly, we used pointers to speed up bitmap processing. Next, a short section on assembler code showed you how to...
